Thanksgiving!

We had a lovely Thanksgiving with the Gaylords (Lauren, Peter, Weston, Caitlin, Julie and Bob) this year. Lauren, truly a Domestic Goddess, made an amazing gourmet meal, beginning with crab and avocado with champagne, followed by all the traditional tasty treats, ending with a lovely assortment of pies. Unfortunately, I was starting to feel a bit peaked that evening (notice my plate is not as full as usual-- though I did manage to eat every last bit!), and by the next day had full blown stomach flu. Poor Caitlin and Jesse followed suit.

Duet with Daddy

Letters!

Jesse is starting to write! He recognizes most letters by sound, and can write about 10 letters, including his name. Go, Jesse, go!

Better get used to it, kid.

Are you kidding me?

(no, this snow is not from Seattle-- we took a short trip to the East side of the mountains last week and happened on some snow at the pass)

Some of you more perceptive (and concerned) readers may have been wondering about Elena's huge wound on her lip (see the All Saints Day post.) Well, the poor kid had to get two fillings ON HALLOWEEN, and then despite constant reminders, chewed her poor numbed lip till it bled. The picture above is of my poor darling little child being injected in the mouth with massive amounts of numbing stuff. A shot in the mouth!! She *maybe* whimpered a tiny bit. I am quite sure I whimpered a whole lot more while watching. Then she was such an amazing trooper through the whole procedure. The most amazing part is that when the dentist offered her a hand mirror to watch, she not only took it, but held it up to watch the entire time!! I kept trying to take it from her because I was sure her arm was getting tired, but she snatched it out of my reach and kept watching! I get squeamish just thinking about it, but my brave girl was fascinated by the whole thing. The dentist was amazed at her curiosity and persistence. I actually asked if the numbing stuff made her kind of stoned (that's the only way I would be fascinated by dental work), but they insisted she was in her right mind. So, other than the bloody lip, she sailed through her first couple of fillings.

Too bad she has to get THREE more in the next couple of months. Don't blame it on me! She totally got bad teeth genes (case in point: Jesse is cavity-free, yet was nursed longer, eats ten times more sugar, AND screams every time I brush his teeth.) Okay, so maybe the daily cup of cocoa might not have helped the old tooth decay situation, but once we start down that slippery-slope-of-blame, it is really hard to stop. So I have decided that 5 cavities before age 5 is officially NOT MY FAULT. Neurotic tendencies, fear of roller-coasters, aversion to spicy food, a need for therapy at age 20... perhaps... but we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Wide angle

Elena wakes up with Phoebe, 8 am.

Elena practices the piano before church, 10 am.

Daddy makes French Toast with carmelized pear sauce after church, 12:30 pm.

Kids do crafts midafternoon, 2 pm.

I take a lot of close up pictures because our lives are so cluttered and busy already, who wants to compete with all that when looking at a photo? So I decided to take a few pictures with all the clutter and detail included, so those of you who live far away can get a better sense of what our lives really look like. These are all from last Sunday.

All Saints Day

St. Cecelia and St. Christopher

I sing a song of the Saints of God... God help me to be one, too.

This year, I decided the kids should celebrate All Saints Day. This is one of my favorite holidays that I even celebrated as an Episcopalian ("I sing a song of the saints of God!"-- one the cheesiest and most adorable hymns ever.) Blessed Sacrament has a Saint parade, mass, and potluck, so despite the fact that it was a school night and everyone was exhausted, I dragged the kids to church in costume. (Yes, I made the costumes in the few minutes between coming home from work and driving to church. I'd like to take this opportunity to thank my own working mama for all the hundreds of costumes she made me... now I get it! The desire to have a career and be Martha Stewart is no small task.)

Elena chose St. Cecelia, patron saint of musicians; and Jesse chose St. Christopher, patron saint of travelers and vehicles (including MOTORCYCLES). St. Cecelia has a rather morose story, filled with torture, promises of virginity, and painful deaths. We emphasized her ability to intercede on behalf of musicians like Daddy. I'll save the torture and stuff for later. 

St. Christopher has a neat story-- he was a big strong guy who carried people across a raging river (hence the intercessor for travelers), including the child Jesus, who explained that the reason He felt so heavy was that Christopher was indeed carrying the entire world and "Him who made it." So Jesse got to carry his baby, Peter (dressed as baby Jesus)-- and his motorcycle-- in a sling.

Halloween!

Ellie helps Daddy with his design

Hot Dog Mummies! made by neighbor, Maggie.

G. Lantern, W. Woman, Butterfly Molly and Batman Jack enjoying some "real food" before massive sugar consumption.

The whole adorable gang about to take Pinehurst by storm.

G. Lantern and W.Woman warding off Evil Villains.

G. Lantern and W.Woman looking cute.

G. Lantern and W. Woman enjoying the fruits of their labor.